Sampler for bulk grapes

ABSTRACT

A sampler for grapes held in bulk and having juice therewith includes a frame on which a sampling cylinder is mounted. At the lower end of the sampling cylinder is a gate mechanism arranged to be opened and closed. A piston is movable in the cylinder so as to pull a vacuum within the cylinder. The piston is connected to the gate mechanism through a lost motion linkage so that when the sampler is plunged into the bulk grapes a sample of the bulk grapes along with their juice is obtained. The loaded sampler is movable to a point for inspection. After discharge the mechanism can be reused for a subsequent sampling.

United States Patent [191 OBrien et al.

SAMPLER FOR BULK GRAPES Inventors: Michael OBrien, Davis; Clinton L,

West, Yuba City, both of Calif.

[1.8. CI. 73/425.2 Int. Cl. GOln l/l2 Field of Search 73/4252, 425.4 R; 175/58,

. References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1908 Drawe 73/425.4 R 7/1908 Drawe 73/425.4 R

[451 July 16, 1974 3,143,884 8/1964 Brekke 73/4252 Primary Examiner-S. Clement Swisher Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Lothrop & West [57] ABSTRACT A sampler for grapes held in bulk and having juice therewith includes a frame on which a sampling cylinder is mounted. At the lower end of the sampling cylinder is a gate mechanism arranged to be opened and closed. A piston is movable in the cylinder so as to pull a vacuum within the cylinder. The piston is connected to the gate mechanism through a lost motion linkage so that when the sampler is plunged into the bulk grapes a sample of the bulk grapes along with their juice is obtained. The loaded sampler is movable to a point for inspection. After discharge the mechanism can be reused for a subsequent sampling.

12 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJULI 6 i974 SHEET 3 OF 3 SAMPLER FOR BULK GRAPES Devices for sampling different sorts of products are well known in the literature and reference is made to the tomato sampler shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,702 issued to one of the co-inventors herein, OBrien, on Aug. 15, 1972. While such sampler is satisfactory for its intended environment, there are presented additional problems in connection with the sampling of bulk grapes. At the present time grapes are harvested manually or mechanically from the vines and are placed in relatively large containers, such as gondola trucks. These carry a load of grapes in bulk to a substantial depth, say three or more feet. As part of the harvesting operation and to ascertain the nature of the grapes being harvested and their quality, it is necessary from time to time to take samples of the grapes from the bulk load. That is accomplished by submitting the lading of the carrying vehicle, such as a gondola trailer, to a sampling procedure. According to the present arrangement, there is provided at a sampling station a cylinder which plunges through the bulk material and extracts a sample or samples representative of the whole. Each sample necessarily includes juice which has been expressed from the grapes during their transportation. Much of the juice is squeezed out by pressure resulting from the relatively deep lading. Some may also be present due to the operation of the transport device.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a sampling device especially for grapes in bulk effective to procure a representative sample of the bulk grapes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bulk sampler effective to retain not only the solid part of the grape lading but likewise to retain the expressed liquid or juice portion thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bulk grape sampler in which the sample is readily taken into the sampler and is as readily discharged therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bulk grape sampler that can easily be integrated into the ordinary processes of harvesting and handling grapes.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved sampler for use especially on material such as grapes in bulk which have with the solids a certain amount of liquid material.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a bulk grape sampler that is quite accurate and is an improvement over previous samplers available for the purpose.

Other objects, together with the foregoing, are attained in the embodiment of the invention described in the accompanying description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a general perspective of a bulk grape sampler pursuant to the invention as it is utilized in connection with an inspection station, certain portions of the figure being broken away to reduce its extent;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section in an axial vertical plane through a bulk grape sampler pursuant to the invention, some portions being in elevation and the sampler being shown with the gate in closed position;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section, the plane of which is indicated by the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section, the plane of which is indicated by the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is-a cross-section to an enlarged scale showing the lower end of the sampler cylinder and especially illustrating the sharp, cutting edges thereof; and

F IGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9 show diagrammatically successive stages in the operation of the bulk grape sampler constructed pursuant to the invention.

As particularly shown in FIG. 1 and according to one manner of handling harvested grapes, the grapes 2 and accompanying material are contained within an enclosure 3. This is usually a gondola body on a truck or trailer which has received the grapes from the vineyard and is engaged in carrying them to a plant, such as a winery, for further handling. The vehicle with its container 3 is transferred to a checking or sampling location. At that site there is provided an overhead, cranelike conveyor rail 4. From this a sample elevator generally designated 5 is suspended for transverse movement. The elevator is an operator-controlled power device for moving a sampler vertically between one position well above the load and another position with the sampler virtually in contact with the bottom of the container 3. The sampler itself includes a framework 6 carrying a plate-like head 7 from which a cylinder 8 depends. The cylinder is inclusive of an upper portion 9 well finished for piston reciprocation and a less finished, lower portion 10, both portions preferably being rectangular or square in cross-section. This resists forces that tend to rotate piston and appurtenances.

Mounted on the frame 6 is a pneumatic or hydraulic jack 11 or comparable motor mechanism having a piston rod 12 power actuated in both directions by an operator. The rod 12 is connected through an intermediate piston tube 13 to a piston 14. The piston is inclusive of a head 16 and a skirt 17. Sealing bars 18 engage the skirt 17 and guide the piston within the upper, wellfinished portion 9 of the cylinder. The piston in this fashion is reciprocable within the cylinder between a projected position and a retracted position and is well sealed in the cylinder to maintain a differential pressure on opposite sides of the piston. To assist this the piston 14 in addition to the rings 18 also has a packing ring 19 mounted thereon by appropriate securing means 20.

The lower portion 10 of the cylinder, which needs only moderate wall finish, is particularly provided to accommodate a pair of gates 21 and 22 referred to herein as a first gate and a second gate. Each of the gates is generally an arcuate sheet effective to operate about a transverse axis 23 in grooves 24 and 26 afforded in the side walls of the lower portion of the cylinder. Each of the gates is substantially like the other except that at their meeting edges 27 there is an overlap to afford a liquid-tight junction. The fit of the arcuate gates 21 and 22 in their respective grooves 24 and 26 likewise is effectively liquid tight.

Each of the gates is provided with a connection 31, such asa piano hinge, to an operating strap 32. This is secured at its lower end to the gate and proceeds through appropriate guides 33 and 34 on the cylinder walls and eventually engages with an operating mechanism 36. This mechanism is duplicated, as are the straps, and each mechanism includes a cross-pin 38 joined to a connector 39 having a clevis end and itself connected by a pin 41 to a J-shaped rocking lever 42 (see FIG. 3). On the frame 11 is one of a pair of pivot pins 43 for each of the rocking levers 42. The levers move between one position shown in FIG. 2 in full line and an opposite position shown therein by dotted lines.

Each of the rocking levers 42 through its pivot 43 is supported on the frame 6 and at its free end is provided approximately 7 feet wide and from 20 to 25 feet long.

During transport from the vineyard where they were picked the grapes, due to their inherent weight and some of the jostling during transportation, exude some of their juice so that the mass in the container 3 is made up of grapes and grape juice, all of which needs to be sampled.

The usual custom is for the container 3 to be successively positioned under the rail 4 in several'longitudinal positions, a sample being taken at each. As shown in FIG. 1 the sampling is being done adjacent the central portion of the load. In order to accomplish the sampling, the sampler frame 6 is disposed initially in a lifted position by means of the elevator 5. It is then lowered by that mechanism into an appropriate portion of the subjacent load. As it descends, the sampler has its parts approximately in the position shown in FIG. 6. The piston tube 13 is actuated to position the piston 14 at an intermediate location. The pins 44 reside in the upper ends of the slots 46 and the rocker levers 42 are inclined about their pivots 43 so that the outboard pins 41 are raised. The straps 32 are tensioned and pull the gates 21 and 22 apart and into an upper or open position. The lower end of the cylinder is completely open.

As the cylinder is lowered under these conditions it enters into the body 2 of bulk grapes. To assist in this operation, the bottom end of the cylinder is provided with a number of easily removable and replaceable cutting points 51, as shown particularly in FIG. 5. These are sharpened plates 52 nested in the lower end of the cylinder walls. They assist in entrance into the grape load by cutting a columnar section therein as the sampling device is lowered under its own weight or by down power from the elevator 5, if desired.

The cylinder is lowered into the body of the lading toward the bottom thereof. Before or during this time, if desired, the piston tube 13 can be moved by the jack 11 in a generally upward direction toward the position shown in FIG. 7. Preferably, however, the piston tube is not moved upwardly during cylinder downward movement.

The lowering of the cylinder 8 continues until the sampler has substantially reached the bottom of the load. At that time the cylinder is about filled with a fair sampling of the lading. As the cylinder fills, any displaced air is released through an opening 57 in the piston 14 which is normally closed by a resilient finger extension 58 of the packing ring 19. The extension 58 seals when there is an atmospheric or lower pressure within the cylinder.

When the cylinder reaches the bottom, a truly representative sample of the material comprised in the load is thus confined within the cylinder.

At this time, as shown particularly in FIG. 8, the piston tube 13 is then impelled to its maximum upward position. In the initial portion of this movement, because of the lost motion or free motion between the pins 44 and the slots 46, the linkages 42 are not disturbed. In the latter portion of this upward piston movement, the pins 44, being at the bottom of the slots 46, as shown in FIG. 7, then are effective to rotate the levers 42 about the pins 43 as the piston continues the upward motion. This causes the straps 32 to move the gates 21 and 22 from their open position toward each other and into their closed position. The edges 27 sub stantially abut tightly or even slightly overlap. Any contained juice is retained in the cylinder with the rest of the lading, especially if the piston in traveling up pulls a vacuum. In the position of FIG. 8, the gates are fully closed, the piston 14 is in its uppermost position and a fair sample is trapped. At that juncture, the elevator 5 is actuated and the entire sampler with its lading is lifted from the container 3. It is then caused to travel laterally on the rail 4 until it overlies a sampling station 56. Inspectors or samplers at the station examine the material when it is discharged from the sampler.

To effectuate such a discharge the piston tube 13 is again actuated to move the parts from the position shown in FIG. 8, for example, through the position shown in FIG.'9. In this latter interrelationship of the parts, the piston 14 has descended somewhat. As soon as the parts have gotten to the FIG. 9 position, the pins 44 are in the upper ends of the slots 46. Further movement of the piston 14 downwardly causes the levers 42 to rock and to lift the straps 32. This opens the gates 21 and 22 fully. The sample material drops by gravity. All of the sampler contents are expelled. The empty sampler, the parts being back in the FIG. 6 relationship, is ready to be returned to a new position over the lading for another sample.

What is claimed is:

1. A sampler for bulk grapes comprising a frame, a sampling cylinder on said frame, a first gate, means for mounting said first gate on said cylinder for movement between a closed position and an open position, a piston, means on said frame for reciprocating said piston in said cylinder between a projected position and a retracted position, and means for interconnecting said piston and said first gate for conjoint movement.

2. A sampler as in claim 1 in which said interconnecting means includes lost motion.

3. A sampler as in claim 2 in which said first gate can remain in said open position while said piston moves in a selected path between said positions and adjacent to said projected position.

4. A sampler as in claim 2 in which said first gate can remain in said closed position while said piston moves in another selected path between said positions and adjacent to said retracted position.

5. A sampler as in claim 2 in which said interconnecting means includes a pin and slot connection.

6. A sampler as in claim 2 including a second gate, means for mounting said second gate on said cylinder for movement between a closed position and an open position, and means for connecting said piston and said second gate for conjoint movement.

7. A sampler as in claim 6 in which said first gate and 6 10. A sampler as in claim 1 including means on said means for pivoting said rocking lever on said frame, a cylinder for penetrating a mass of grapes in bulk. strap extending from one end of said rocking lever to 11. A sampler as in claim 10 in which said penetratsaid first gate, and a lost-motion connection between ing means includes serrated cutting edges. the other end of said rocking lever and said piston.

12. A sampler as in claim 1 including a rocking lever, 5 

1. A sampler for bulk grapes comprising a frame, a sampling cylinder on said frame, a first gate, means for mounting said first gate on said cylinder for movement between a closed position and an open position, a piston, means on said frame for reciprocating said piston in said cylinder between a projected position and a retracted position, and means for interconnecting said piston and said first gate for conjoint movement.
 2. A sampler as in claim 1 in which said interconnecting means includes lost motion.
 3. A sampler as in claim 2 in which said first gate can remain in said open position while said piston moves in a selected path between said positions and adjacent to said projected position.
 4. A sampler as in claim 2 in which said first gate can remain in said closed position while said piston moves in another selected path between said positions and adjacent to said retracted position.
 5. A sampler as in claim 2 in which said interconnecting means includes a pin and slot connection.
 6. A sampler as in claim 2 including a second gate, means for mounting said second gate on said cylinder for movement between a closed position and an open position, and means for connecting said piston and said second gate for conjoint movement.
 7. A sampler as in claim 6 in which said first gate and said second gate move together toward said closed position and toward said open position.
 8. A sampler as in claim 1 in which said cylinder is rectangular in transverse cross-section.
 9. A sampler as in claim 1 in which said cylinder is substantially closed and said piston produces a sub-atmospheric pressure.
 10. A sampler as in claim 1 including means on said cylinder for penetrating a mass of grapes in bulk.
 11. A sampler as in claim 10 in which said penetrating means includes serrated cutting edges.
 12. A sampler as in claim 1 including a rocking lever, means for pivoting said rocking lever on said frame, a strap extending from one end of said rocking lever to said first gate, and a lost-motion connection between the other end of said rocking lever and said piston. 